Comparing adolescents considerations for self-referral and counsellors perceptions of these considerations: an exploratory study

This study investigated the considerations of adolescents for self-referral to counsellors as reported by 421 senior-high school students and 123 school counsellors. Participants were asked to assess the extent to which different considerations affect adolescent willingness to self-refer to a counsellor. While the most important consideration for both samples was the counsellorʹs trustworthiness, some differences were found. Counsellors attributed more importance than adolescents to counsellor and adolescent gender and age, to adolescent academic and social status and to the conditions of the presenting problem, whereas the adolescents emphasized counsellor expertness. The results are discussed in terms of the strategies that can be implemented for motivating adolescents to independently approach counsellors with their problems.